Mark Collins – New Canadian Government vs ISIS: We Don’t Kill people but…

…apparently we’re quite happy to help others let the blood. One is pretty sure the RCAF’s tanker and two ISR planes will stay in theatre along with some increased ground forces training mission–but how many? See what the Australians and New Zealanders are already doing, both with more trainers than Canada. One finds it difficult to separate our government’s moral/philosophical (practical? HAH!) policy distinctions from the crassly political.

Our policy in fact seems almost a simulacrum of that of the German government’s but with a very different historical grounding. So many Canadians are now ineffably unable think clearly. Feelings, eh?

All of which is not to say that that the current US-led “strategy” against the Caliphate is a sensible or effective one–see e.g. here. But the position of our government is not one of questioning that approach in any militarily specific fashion; instead it’s just that Canada’s participation will be, er, lite. Feeling better? Jejuneanyone? Including our new prime minister?

“There’s always war somewhere but to most Canadians it is: 1) not our business; 2) beyond our ability to make any difference. As the Germans like to say: “War, we leave to the Americans.”

Pacifist isolationism is a respectable policy, if one accepts the consequences of having not even the illusion of influence which we have traditionally been allowed by the big powers.

In the real world, however, pacifist isolationism can only work for Canada if the other part of defence policy is a substantial military contribution to the defence of North America. Otherwise the US will do it all for us, regardless of bleats about sovereignty over our territory.”